[?]

My Journey to the National Railway Historical Society Convention Featuring Forest Park Miniature Train 6/19/2008

This year's National Railway Historical Society convention was held in Fort Worth, Texas in mid-June. Since it started before my work year was complete, I could only choose trips that took place after June 18th. The good news was that I had previously visited the tourist trains which were planned for the days before I arrived. So I would fly to Fort Worth on the evening of the 18th and meet Chris Parker there. My plan was to participate in the BNSF Dispatching Center tour on June 19th and ride the Quanah Zephyr excursion on June 21st. I also planned to visit the Oklahoma Railway Museum on the 20th and the Austin Steam Association on the 22nd among others. Both Chris Parker and I would fly home on June 23rd.

On Day 4,900 of my sobriety, and after getting my excellent end-of-the-year evaluation, I left McFadden Intermediate School for my final time as an employee and drove home to finish packing. I could not find my camera's memory stick reader but as Steve Grande arrived early enough to pick me up to take me to the Santa Ana station, we made a quick trip to Radio Shack. Steve dropped me off with plenty of time to get to Track 1 to wait for my Pacific Surfliner to Los Angeles Union Station.

Pacific Surfliner 775 arrived and I boarded the coach/café car for the trip to LAUPT. We were delayed fifteen minutes waiting to get onto the BNSF tracks at Fullerton so arrival time at LAUPT was 2:55 PM {2:40 PM} and I hustled to the Flyaway Bus kiosk to buy a round trip ticket to LAX and made the 3:00 PM bus. Thirty minutes later, I stepped off at Terminal 4 and entered a long security line. Twenty minutes later, as I picked up my bags from the X-ray machine, the TSA Agent said "You must be a movie star!" I just smiled and walked away, heading to Gate 47A to wait for Flight 2468 to Fort Worth, which was changed to 49A.

The departure time grew later and later but was not as bad the plane going to Kona, Hawaii, that was to have left at 3:15 PM, but now had a 9:30 PM departure which caused a lot of angry vacationers. We finally boarded our plane at 7:20 PM and took off at 7:58 PM {7:00 PM}. The film shown was "The Bucket List" which was very well done. I left Day 4,900 at midnight and at 12:31 AM on June 19th, we landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Chris Parker was waiting in front of Terminal 2 and after we escaped the airport, drove to the Best Western DFW Inn for the rest of that night.

Chris and I arose at 6:30 AM and after a continental breakfast, drove west towards Fort Worth with a wild sky full of lightning flashes, pouring rain and loudly-clapping thunder. We parked at the Fort Worth Transportation Center for three dollars and walked three blocks to the NRHS convention hotel, the Hilton, to pick up our convention trip tickets and other items then returned to the car to store our new materials. Chris Parker went back to the Hilton to wait for the 9:00 AM BNSF Dispatching Center tour while I walked across the street to the Fort Worth Transportation Center and bought a round-trip Trinity Rail Express ticket for five dollars and went outside to wait for my train.

Trinity Rail Express is a commuter rail service in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex of Texas. It was established by an interlocal agreement between Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Trinity Metro. Named after the Trinity River, the West Fork of which flows from Fort Worth to Dallas, the TRE was launched on December 30, 1996, shortly after the inaugural service of Dallas' DART Light Rail system, operating from Dallas Union Transit Station to the South Irving Transit Station. It runs along a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific line that the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth purchased in 1983 for $34 million.

The eastern terminus of the TRE route is Dallas Union Station on the west side of downtown Dallas. From there, the line runs northwest parallel to Interstate 35E, passing American Airlines Center and Dallas Market Center before turning west. The line crosses the Elm Fork of the Trinity River into Irving, passing through Irving's historic downtown district. The train continues west to the Dallas County/Tarrant County border, passing under the President George Bush Turnpike. While crossing into Tarrant County, the line passes about four miles south of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The line passes over SH-360 and takes a slight southwest turn along the northern city limits of Arlington. It turns slightly northwest towards Bell before following the southern city limits of Hurst. As it approaches Interstate 820, it takes a sharper southwest turn towards downtown Fort Worth, passing through Richland Hills and Haltom City. The line enters downtown Fort Worth from the northeast, passing under Interstate 35W and curving towards Fort Worth Central Station. Finally, the track curls around downtown Fort Worth towards T&P Station.

The train arrived and I boarded the cab car. Upon our departure, we passed through the Tinsdall Storage building and before Richland Hills, after some signal problems, we met a westbound TRE train as lightning flashed across a very dark morning sky. Before we reached Hurst/Bell, we met the four RDC's that would be used on a NRHS excursion later this morning. The downtown Dallas skyline could be seen before we reached Centerport/DWF Airport station. We passed another TRE train before going by their Shops and later, arriving at our next station of West Irving, where another TRE train was in the station. That stop was followed by the South Irving Transportation Center. We passed through a Quiet Zone on the way Medical/Market, where a Centerport TRE train was in the station. The Special Event Victory station, where the Dallas Stars play, was next, followed by the last stop at Dallas Union Station, where I exited for a few pictures.

After watching four freight trains from three different railroads, as well as eight DART trains, we left Dallas for Fort Worth. Construction of future light rail lines were visible.

Also new were the computer screens that showed weather, route and timetables of TRE trains. On the way back to Fort Worth, I relaxed and listened to Jethro Tull's "This Was", the 40th Anniversary edition, as I watched the views. At Centerport, the NRHS RDC train was there and I saw a few people I knew photographing our train.

Before Fort Worth, we stopped to let this eastbound TRE train pass on its way to Dallas. All too soon, we were back at the Fort Worth Transportation Center and I detrained.

TRE is one of several commuter rail lines in the country that bought Bombardier equpiment.

North Texas Traction interurban car 25 built by St. Louis Car Company in 1913 on display at the Fort Worth Transportation Center. It ran until 1935 and was purchased by the Northern Texas Traction Company. The company operated interurban passenger trains between Fort Worth and Dallas and sometimes to Cleburne. Car 25 and the other electric motorcars could reach a top speed of 70 miles per hour. Passengers on Car 25 were impressed by its stained glass windows and inlaid mahogany paneling. The car was divided into two sections; in the front was the women's compartment and the back was reserved for the smoking. In 1924, Car 25 was repainted from green and gold to its current red, white and gold colors. The car was restored in the late 1990's and has been on display since that time.

I returned to the rental car and wrote most of this trip as I waited for Chris Parker to return from his tour. Just before noon, Chris returned and we drove to Forest Park in search of the train for our next ride.

We drove through Forest Park and found the train out on its morning inspection run.

In 1955, W. H. "Bill" Hames decided to add a miniature railroad to the already existing rides in Forest Park. What was interesting was there was already a train in the park running over a quarter-of-a-mile route. They made a proposal to the Fort Worth Park Board on June 28, 1956 to run their train through Forest and Trinity Parks. The route of their train would be between four or five miles long. A feasibility study was made by the Fort Worth Parks Department. In November 1958, the Forest Park Miniature Railroad was approved and construction began in 1958-1959. The ride is about five miles in length from the Forest Park Depot to the Duck Pond in Trinity Park and back. The train crosses six bridges including a 350 foot girder bridge and a 171 foot truss bridge, both crossing the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. Another bridge of sixty feet crosses the Trinity River Creek. The route passes beneath the tracks of the Fort Worth and Western Railroad, which the Grapevine Vintage Railroad runs their Trinity River Run trips.

Steam engine 106.

The Clear Fork of the Trinity River.

The train coming and going.

Crossing the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. We drove to the Forest Park station near the Fort Worth Zoo and parked then checked in and were given tickets for our ride.

The train at the Forest Park station.

The steam engine that would pull our train.

The rear of our train where Chris and I would ride facing backwards.

Leaving Forest Park station.

Looking back along the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.

Approaching the truss bridge.

Our crossing of that bridge.

Approaching the crossing of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.

Coming out onto that bridge.

Traversing the river.

A look back at the bridge.

Passing underneath the former Texas & Pacific Railroad and by the falls of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.

We passed beneath Interstate 30.

A bend in the river.

The train crossed several roads in the park, all with crossing protection.

The Trinity Park station.

The train passes both sides of the station on a trip.

Rounding a curve in Trinity Park.

There are many old trees in the park.

A small trestle over a little creek.

Riding between the old growth.

A really beautiful setting.

A larger wooden trestle was crossed next.

We passed underneath the Fort Worth & Western Railroad.

Trees here are so beautiful.

Crossing another roadk.

Passing through a tunnel of vegetation.

We reached the Northern Loop.

Turning the train on the Northern Loop.

Passing underneath the Fort Worth & Western Railroad, after which we returned to Trinity Park station where we had a ten minute stop.

Chris decided to get some popcorn to hold him over until lunch.

We left the Trinity Park station.

A bend of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.

The waterfall and the Union Pacific mainline.

Crossing the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.

The truss bridge over Forest Creek.

Rolling along the river.

Looking back along the river.

The train passed Forest Park station without stopping on its way to the South Loop.

Roundingg the South Loop.

Another view of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.

We returned to Forest Park station, ending a fantastic trip aboard the Forest Park Miniature Train.

The other locomotive in their collection is 104. A third one is under a tarpaulin awaiting potential restoration.

One last view of our train as it was now time for us to leave and in a few more minutes, the train will take more passengers through the park.